


Painful Scratches

by 1AdiWriter1



Category: Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29756847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1AdiWriter1/pseuds/1AdiWriter1
Summary: When Suzan and Johnny's nephew from Canada is coming to New York for a family visit, no one imagined that they will have to also save him from the one who gave him a genetic affliction at the age of 13. Join the Fantastic Four in this adventure where a new animal hero will be born. I don't own the main characters and I am sorry for any wording and spelling errors that you will see.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story about family where a relative of Susan\ Invisible Woman and Johnny\ Human Torch came to visit and reveal himself to be not just a normal relative.

Another day in New York at the office of the 4 great heroes of the world, The Fantastic 4 at the Baxter Building of course the usual stuff when they are off Reeds Richards is doing research and Johnny is well annoying Ben Grimm\ The Thing.

“I am telling you matches I really don’t want another one of your pranks.” Ben said after been splashed with his soda who was overheated by Johnny.

“Don’t blame me brick head it was fun.” Johnny said amused while the Thing was rather angry at him.

“Grrrr.” The door then opened for Reeds to come in with his pad in hand.

“I see you 2 try to blow up steam again.” He said looking around hoping in a sense that Susan who be around to levitate the problem. “By the way where is Susan?”

“Sue went to the airport to pick up our nephew Damian, the son of our cousin Liz married with a Canadian billionaire. And also he entered high school at age 12 and finished at 16.” Johnny said leaning on the sofa.

“Couldn’t _you_ have gone to pick him up?” The Thing asked.

“I am here to prepare the environment for him; we will have a nice time to tell about my heroic deeds he will surely enjoy all of it.”

“If he is like his uncle I am out of here.” Ben said to Reeds.

“Let’s first meet him Ben. When he will exactly arrive?”

“Pretty soon I hope.” Johnny said leaning on the chair.

* * *

_In the meantime_

“So what do you think of this way of traveling?” Sue asked the passenger near her in the fantastic-car.

“Something I should have expected, especially that my aunt here is the Invisible Woman and my uncle the Human Torch half of the Fantastic Four.” Said a 17 year old boy in a calculated manner, he was a white slender boy with oval face, dressed with a white t-shirt and a grey pullover and grey trousers with black sneakers, he had black ordered hair, brown eyes wearing a pair of rectangular glasses with a thin dark frame.

“I really am glad that we meet again since we haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Yes, 12 years, really a lot have changed. And I guess that uncle Johnny will go a bit overboard if we stay to believe how he is doing when he appears at the news?” He commented.

“You don’t need to worry if something is too much you can always come to me or the others.” Sue said before landing inside the building.

“You mean Doctor Richards and Mr. Grimm I can’t wait, especially when you have the time, when you aren’t at work. Really wonder how are you in reality when you aren’t with saving the world.” He said getting out from his seat in the fantastic-car with his baggage.

“We are much more alike then what the news shows you in Montreal or on other televisions.” Sue said smiling with a hand over his shoulder. “Who knows maybe after this visit you will start to call Reeds and Ben uncle as well.”

“Maybe.” He felt a headache coming to him, and placed his hand near his right template.

“Damian, is everything fine?” Sue asked.

“Y-yes Aunt Sue.”

“Are your migraines bothering again?”

“In a sense, yes, hundreds of therapies and none worked maybe Doctor Richards will have something to help me in this case.” Damian said feeling his headache hurting more and more. His aunt eventually took him by the shoulders to get him to the kitchen. There was a reason for those headaches, an accident when he was 12 in the biology lab with a short circuit. The headaches eventually stopped after a minute.

“Reed will surely help you, don’t worry.” She said.

“Please I don’t want to be a burden now for the Fantastic Four.”

“You will not be a burden but I don’t want you to suffer those headaches, your mother and father complained a lot about them. Plus been my nephew I only want to help you and nothing more. Hopefully the effects of that accident will be cured.” She said smiling before knocking the kitchen door to open.

“Guys this is our nephew….”

“Damian.” Johnny exclaimed taking him by the right shoulder. “Long time no see haven’t we.”

“Yes uncle Johnny 12 years to be precise.” He said feeling awkwardly.

“Keeping track of time, too bad it passed so long and what an unfortunate event that your big sister Mary 20 years old isn’t she, hasn’t managed to come as well.”

“Indeed how unfortunate.” He said with monotony turning to the other 2.

“Don’t seem like too much happy greeting for Uncle Johnny I see.” The Thing commented coming to him.

“You must be the Thing or better to say, Ben Grimm, pleasure to meet you.” He said expending his hand to shake his.

“Nice to meet you as well, not quite what I have expected to be honest.” Ben said his rock hands touching his.

“Awkward situations are something I try to avoid having in this 14 day trip.” Damian said before Reeds came to him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Damian; I heard your father is the famous Louis Du Molais computer and engineering expert.”

“Indeed Doctor Richards although I am trying my best to be part of the company my field is towards something else.” Damian said putting his black backpack down to give him a notebook.

“Hmm, medicine and genetics quite impressive.” Reeds said looking through the pages.

“Some of them contain calculations for robotics and mechanics, this interest helped me enter faculty last year. Right now I am on the summer vacation.”

“Impressive, guess we will have a lot to discuss.”

“Reed please he should try to relax in this summer and we got a lot of activities together.” Johnny said grabbing him by the shoulder.

“Please not something that is for children 6 years of age.” Damian said placing his hand on his template in annoyance however he was having migraines again.

“How about today we just stay and relax for a bit. Come I will show your room.” Susan said taking him by the hand to lead him to his room that was literally across from hers’ she and Johnny prepared it. It was a medium size room with a bed near the window and a white desk with a computer a small sofa and a lamp for reading books plus a wardrobe. His mother explained that he liked to read sometimes and he brought some books with him in his backpack.

“It is nice.” Damian said smiling.

“Your aunt dictated everything I would have added some more stuff.” Johnny said while forming a circle of fire with his right hand.

“Wasn’t necessary actually Uncle Johnny.” The teenager said before feeling headaches again.

“By the way I don’t know why but is there a bank nearby?” Damian asked confusing the 4.

“There is one nearby, why asking?” Asked Ben.

“I don’t know how to explain but, I believe there is a robbery at this moment.” He said.

“How would you know?” Johnny asked, the fire extinguishing before hearing the alarm.

“ _There is a robbery at the nearby bank; sources indicate the robbers are of strange appearance_.” Said H.E.R.B.I.E the computer.

“How do you know there will be a robbery?” Ben asked the boy.

“This is something I wanted to tell.”

“You tell us when we return, till then stay here.” Sue said and the FF went on their mission while the boy locked himself in the room his migraines starting again more powerful than before.

“Something isn’t right.” He went to his back pack pulling out a camera and took a piece of paper to write a note, in a sense this is something he must try to tell when his uncle and aunt return because his issue, wasn’t only the headaches. He must prepare for something that is triggered when they turn violent.

At the bank a gang of 4 robbers were filling their bags from the main vault; however there was something to know, the robbers were dressed in something like a black armor and had helmets like those of animals. One was having a mask like a bat, one a male lion and another jaguar the last one just a normal one. They right in that moment managed to pull out a bag full of gold and thousands of dollars.

“We got everything.” Said the jaguar theme robber.

“Perfect let’s get out of here.” Said the boss.

“The flea-circus is leaving already; too bad I wanted a show.” Johnny said throwing balls of fire to one of the robbers.

“Darn it, we must leave now.” Said the chief and they started to retreat.

“Not so fast.” Ben said throwing himself before the jaguar theme robber, but he managed to dodge him and jump over. Mr. Fantastic then came and started to use his hand to get the money they stole before one with a sonic pistol fired at his hand to get it back.

“Let’s go now.” Ordered their boss and the robbers pulled out from their belts some metallic balls that were thrown to the ground creating a large and dense pile of smoke for the rubbers to vanish while both the heroes, the guards and the civilians were coughing because of it. The smoke eventually cleared.

“Well seems like they had escaped.” Ben commented before Reed noticed the marks on the furniture and wall.

“At least they haven’t escaped with all the loot.” Commented Johnny.

“We have to find them.” Sue said before turning to Reed.

“Those marks are quite unnatural.” The doctor said touching the marks on the wall before noticing something like a claw and picked it up. “Hmm, interesting.”

“Studying architecture now stretch?” Ben asked coming to him.

“Those claws marks seem like it belong to animals, but they seem very oversized.” Reed said showing the marks before turning to the claw in his hand “And this claw seems like it had grown naturally as if it came from an animal.”

“We will see to this later now, I wish to see how Damian is doing. Tomorrow we will have a fine day together.” Johnny said before Reed was hearing a transmission threw his earpiece.

“H.E.R.B.I.E what is going on?”

“Hope your nephew isn’t like his uncle in reality.” Ben said to Susan.

“We have to return there we have intruders at home.”

“Damian!” Sue exclaimed worried.

“Let’s go FLAME ON.” Johnny said firing himself before all went out from the bank to the Baxter building. Inside the building 4 intruders were moving around the halls all of them were not there to destroy or rob but to find someone.

“Have you managed to find him!?” Asked one with a male with leopard helmet on.

“Still looking.” Said a lion theme helmet.

“It would have been nice to knock first before entering.” Johnny said bursting inside to attack the lion theme one while the others entered inside the building.

“It seems the robbery was a distraction.” Reeds said.

“I need to go to check Damian.” Sue said.

“You go; we have zoo animals that need to be caged.” Ben exclaimed before charging and Susan went in the other direction, Reed then attacked and captured the one with a leopard mask, despite the escape attempt Ben managed to catch him by the ‘tail’ before smashing him against the wall breaking the helmet.

“Not much stuff, wonder how you got inside.” Ben exclaimed before the intruder turned around for the face to be seen and the Thing widened his eyes.

“That is new.”

Susan managed to get before the room where he was staying; the invisible woman in all cases should have been tired since she only ran as fast as possible to get to the building and now to his room. However she wasn’t a normal woman, she was a hero who had a lot of difficulties more problematic then this race. Plus there was the protective motherly instinct was that was also powerful since the boy that was in that room was her and brother’s nephew and despite the small fact that they are 3rd grade relatives she wanted him safe.

“Damian!” Sue busted inside but the room was empty. “Damian, where are you?” she moved around the room worried of where she might be, walking to the table with the computer she noticed a camera and a note on. Picking it up, she noticed that it written with a trembling sick hand.

_‘Watch video number 3, highly important, about accident.’_

“The accident?” Sue said opening the camera to look into the screen at the video list finding the video that was indicated pressing on play she saw Damian who was looking sick and frightened wearing only a large undershirt as if something bad will happen.

_“The situation is much bad then I though despite the therapies, the accident in the lab was something…….that it had cursed me, I am hoping that the visit in New York would help me.” The boy placed his glasses down before feeling his headaches coming. “Those……headaches……..that I had been born with are turning more violent…………when something bad is happening………since the accident……..and when they come it triggers.” The boy hit his fist against the table in the video and out from it yellow fur with black spots was starting to come out extending to his body._

“Oh God!” Sue said watching the rest of the video till she heard something outside probably one person “Damian.”

* * *

“So we really got fur balls around. Not the ones I like.” Ben said the robber before him was having leopard like features before Reed unmasked the one with lion helmet.

“Human-animal mutants mostly felines, not expecting this.”

“Well it seems we will play with some kitties the rough way.” Johnny exclaimed stopping one with a cage made of fire to stop the lion theme one before coming down deactivating.

“RRROOOAAR!” A humanoid panther came down and attacked Johnny before turning to the Thing.

“Come now kitty; let’s see what you can offer me.” The Thing said before the other mutants formed up behind their teammate.

“It’s clobbering time.” Ben said readying himself before the mutated animals lunged at him, however the Thing, Reeds and Johnny came to attack them however this time it was a bit harder, especially with the claws that lunged into Reeds while Ben was throwing one attacker here and there. However when the panther mutant was near Johnny, who was still down, tried to attack however he stopped in motion and something like a wave came into its head as well as in the others.

“What is going on?” Johnny asked before another one, this time a cheetah-human hybrid appeared but with some slight differences, it had only an undershirt and a pair of three quarter pants alongside with messy black hair, however the features were just like a feline, like the legs but the head was somehow a bit human, it immediately lunged at the panther throwing him away before going in front of the others and looked at them with ferocity.

“Let’s retreat.” Ordered the lion theme mutant running away before the Cheetah turned to the 3 heroes menacingly, ready to attack.

“You turn on your mates and then on us. Not quite a good choice of action.” Ben said preparing his fists.

“Don’t hurt him!” Sue came.

“What?” Ben asked before the cheetah mutant jumped on him.

“Better tell _him_ not to hurt us.” Ben commented before he threw the cheetah hybrid away.

“This naughty cat really needs a lesson.” Johnny said flying above him however Sue immediately covered the cheetah in a dome of energy.

“Sue what are you doing?” Johnny asked.

“Trying to help him.” She said turning to the cheetah who was furiously trying to get out.

“Damian, calm down, they are gone.”

“Damian?” Johnny asked confused however the creature was still fighting.

“Damian, please remember, I am your aunt. I want to help you, try to calm down.” Sue said looking into his eyes, once eye contact was made the creature’s mind started to turn clear, anger and savage self dissipating, recognizing her.

“A-a-aunt S-Sue.” He whispered collapsing to the ground unconscious, Sue then released him from the cage she made with her mind and immediately went to him.

“Everything will be all right now. I promise.” She said, before the fur on the body and the tail of the creature started to disappear and his feet started to turn human again revealing himself, dumb striking the others.

“Damian?” Reed asked

“Johnny since when you and Suzy have a nephew that is wild?” Ben asked.

* * *

_Sometime later in the medical zone_

“It was when he was 13 years old he was in the biology lab with the teacher working on some research his group was conducting however something went wrong. Some short-circuit happened during the experiment and a loose voltage cable landed on his head. Liz wrote about this in one of her letters to me, and as for the migraines he was born with them, he went to hundreds of therapies to find something to cure them but it was all to almost no avail.” Susan explained while looking at her unconscious nephew who was restrained on the medical bed while Ben was near him.

“This doesn’t explain however why he could turn into a human-cheetah hybrid.” Johnny said turning to his sister.

“Liz wasn’t able to tell this in her letter but I guess Damian should be able to explain everything.” Sue said.

“Same old cousin Liz doesn’t want people to get concerned or frightened.”

“Well in any case I think I found the source of his migraines.” Reed said placing an image on the screen of his computer showing strange curved schematics from the Frontal Lob of the brain and like a needle going through the motor strip, sensory strip, parietal lobe touching the occipital lobe.

“It is a brain abnormality that is responsible for his headaches; each lobe of the brain is responsible for a specific reason. The frontal lobe is for Personality, behavior, emotions Judgment, planning, problem solving, Intelligence, concentration, self awareness for example. The occipital is for intepreting vision like colour and movement. The parietal is for sense of touch, pain, temperature as well as Spatial and visual perception, as for the cheetah transformation.” Reed placed a diagram with the boy’s DNA.

“His genes had suffered from some sort of mutations with a foreign substance.”

“Is there a way to cure them?”

“I will make some research on the abnormality; in a way I might be able to cure it. As for the DNA I might need to make more tests to figure something out.”

“Not something I had expected from one of cousin Liz’s children.” Johnny commented rubbing his head, while on the table the teenager started to come back to his senses.

“You were really lucky kid that your aunt Suzy stopped us on time, however helping us before starting to attack us wasn’t something too wise out of you. You were pretty close to a Ben Grimm beat down.” Ben said to the boy.

“Believe me, it wasn’t something I wanted to do especially not in the first day.” Damian commented before turning to the door to see his aunt and uncle entering.

“Sorry for what happened Damian, your mother hasn’t mentioned the whole situation when he sent me the letter. Not even when I met her last time a month ago she in a sense tried to say something but from what I saw the situation is too overwhelming for her and probably the same is for your father and sister to tell.” Sue said deactivating the restraints.

“Don’t be sorry in a sense I didn’t wanted something like this to happen in the first day while visiting on one hand.” He said getting up rubbing his head in shame “And on the other maybe my mother was right about coming here to New York but in my case I was left without any more options to solve this....” He looked to his hands in frustration “Wretched curse.”

“We can see that however how come that you can become a humanoid cheetah?” Johnny asked.

“In order to understand this I have to tell that my headaches and migraines are not normal, you know that I had them since I was born. However it is because of one aspect I never managed to tell.”

“What that might be?” Johnny asked before feeling a headache small one but quite annoying. “Now I have them.”

“When I am concentrated enough, on a person I am able to sense and read the thought it has, however when there is a violent action nearby, it simply comes to my mind triggering the headaches and also I can send waves that create headaches, the thing I had done with the other mutated animals.” He explained.

“Telepathic abilities, impressive those are quite powerful from what I can analyse.” Reed said before the boy collapsed on the medical table.

“Yet when I do that it hurts a lot.”

“Good thing to know, however pick on someone else next time, Ben for example.” Johnny said and the Thing groaned when hearing that.

“Don’t listen to that kid.”

“Problem is that I percept violent thoughts from people that are not in the room if they have thoughts like try to murder, steal, fight and so on that are very powerful, it triggers everything. The more agitation there is in some place nearby it triggers the transformation.” He said feeling another headache.

“Is someone doing graffiti outside with Mr. Grimm in an awkward situation?”

“Yancy Street Gang again.”

“And the cheetah thing was because of the accident in the bio lab?” Johnny said.

“The accident was provoked in reality, before going to the lab there was a strange tube in my locker, I picked it up and went to the teacher to analyze it. However out of sudden when we realized what was inside there was an explosion of one of the light tubes on the ceilings. The teacher tried to pull me away, but I tripped and the tube was opened some of the serum that was inside was splashed on my head, and when the cable that electrified me made the substance to entered inside my body. It was reported that someone meddled with the electrical system, making it overload. At first, things were normal for a time after that but when I and professor Delavan realised the gravity of the situation, it was only after a month. When I also transformed for the first time, luckily during summer when a burglar was nearby my house, probably wanting to enter.” He explained holding his head as if it weights a tone. “After that I shunned myself from others, only working trying to finish school and find a cure for this, even thou a genius and the boy of a billionaire after that event my life turned into almost an eternal nightmare.”

“I really am sorry for what happened Damian; let’s hope Reed might manage to help you with this.” Sue said rubbing his head, never thinking that she will find her nephew from a cheerful boy to one tormented by mutations while Reeds came to them.

“Well Damian from what you told us your situation is because of the abnormality in your brain, in a sense I can cure it but only if you aren’t sensing bad thoughts and actions nearby the magnitude that could trigger your transformation.”

“I hope it could be done but when will that be possible?”

“In a way by my analysis, I could try to build a device that I have to place it on your head, just like at the therapies you usually have, of course I will have to run several other tests and by tomorrow it could be finished.” Reed said.

“I am glad to hear this but in a sense I didn’t wanted to bother with this situation from the first day.”

“Hey you will not bother us on one hand, and on the other freaks like us must stick together considering that you probably feel your head explode 14 out of 24 hours every day.” Ben said.

“You consider yourself a freak? You are a hero and role model for many people. Me on the other hand I am called the la Bête du Montréal, the Beast of Montreal because when in that animalistic form my mind is 50% clouded into a mist. Animal instincts guide part of that form, although I can still think, after sending telepathic waves and enter the minds of the adversary, like what I did to help you I lose control after that not distinguishing friend from foe for some time. I would have been closed into a cage a long time ago if the people would know who is behind the animal.” Damian said.

“You at least don’t want to provoke other people; your mind could still think like a human if calmed, others on the other hand that we know started to have different personalities.” Ben said.

“He means the Hulk.” Johnny said.

“Once I heard people characterising me with the Hulk.”

“There are differences; you don’t turn green and start to rampage and destroy everything around you, from what I heard the Beast only attacks the one who makes the trouble.”

“Doesn’t give much consolation.” Damian murmured getting on his feet.

“Well in any case we must try to first find a way for you to don’t go anywhere outside the Baxter building, New York been very large who knows where we might find you if you transform and go on a ‘hunting trip’.” Ben said.

“I took some precautions before coming here. In my bag there is a package that contain 15 darts with tranquilizer to put down a normal cheetah alongside a pistol for them this of course it is to try to turn me numb so you could capture me. Or that or restrain me very tight in the bed during the night, felines know very well how to navigate in the dark and to take people by surprise. This been the majority of cases in my experience, most activities coming out at night.”

“You can sleep here in the medical room, I will make sure your restrains are tight enough so you wouldn’t be able to escape, but we will also take the darts with tranquilizer. I might in this time study your situation to see what could be done.” Doctor Reed said.

“I tried several times that; however I managed to escape in some cases, well not all of them to be honest.”

“Well if you try to escape, Ben will surely capture you if you try to jump on him.” Johnny said.

“It is doubtful you would want that Mr Grimm.”

“Hey, one aspect of been a pile of orange granite is that I wouldn’t be able to feel you scratching me with your claws. Of course I am not expert in big mutated cats.” Ben said.

“Lucky me.” He said monotonous picking up someone else’s thoughts now.

“Yet is there another thing we should know when you wild out?”

“I in a sense if I am restrained well I stay in that form for approximately 2 hours that depends how big is the conflict that I pick up in a place.” Damian explained.

“This might be enough time for me to analyze however I wonder when you pick the next conflict.” Reed said.

“That now depends.” Damian explained before turning to Ben. “By the way there is another thing to know; when a person is thinking of another person that is close in an area I sense that person. And your girlfriend wants to eat lunch with you tomorrow Mr. Grimm, she is working on another statue in her workshop.” Damian said and Johnny started to giggle.

“Thanks for the info?” Ben asked awkwardly.

“It is the abnormality; it makes me read other people’s minds at random and especially if one thought of that person that isn’t here.”

“Really need to get rid of that.” Ben said before the boy collapsed on the table as if knocked holding his head that was as if ready to blow up.

“What is going on?” Johnny asked.

“Two....rival.....bands......at an alley.......some meters from here......want to fight one another......with.......clubs and knifes.” Damian said feeling his body changing again.

“Ben, restrain him while I tie him up!” Reed said and the Thing grabbed him by the shoulder to press him on the medical table while Reed activated the metal restrains to his hands, feet and body while fur and the cheetah self was coming out.

“HIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSS.” He started to hiss menacingly at the four while struggling to escape.

“H.E.R.B.I.E analyzes his brain and the abnormality, and show me all the data that comes out.” Reed said while stretching himself to get to his computer while Damian started to behave even more like an animal wanting to go on a hunt.

“Reed, we can’t let him suffer like this.” Sue said while looking at her nephew who started to grrr and hiss at them more.

“Susan, Johnny go and stop that gang fight, Ben make sure he remains restrained.” Reed said and both Susan and Johnny went out to stop that fight while Ben remained near the now teen human-cheetah who looked at him menacingly.

“HIIIIISSSSSSSSSS.”

“Listen kid, try to cage the animal and stay put I don’t think we want an incident now since we try to help you. Plus I don’t think you want to fight with me and hurt yourself.” Ben said while the boy still growled and looked at him menacingly.

“GRRRRRR.”

“You better do what I told you quick, in my case I don’t want to wrestle a cat. But if you insist, I am always ready for it.” Ben said while the cheetah teen narrowed his eyes at the Thing in anger.

_In the mean time_

“You will regret that.” Said a street gang member holding a club after been scratched by the knife of his opponent.

“We will see about that.” He said assaulting him but the other hit him with his club pushing him back, before attacking again but a force dome came and stopped the assault of the other.

“We usually don’t interfere in street gang fights but you picked up the wrong time for a fight.” Susan said before Johnny came and set fire to the clubs turning them to ash and the knifes to be too hot to be hold in hands.

“And guess you don’t have weapons now to fight.” Johnny said sarcastically while flamed on.

“Darn it! Run.” Said the gang leader and each started to disperse.

“Damian’s ability really could be useful too bad that the abnormality turns him into a half animal person.” Johnny said.

“Let’s hope Reed managed to get the data that was needed to cure the abnormality at least to no more have headaches and turn savage when an animal.” Sue said returning home.

* * *

_Back in the lab_

After sensing the fight stopped by his aunt and uncle he immediately collapsed on the table and started to calm down although he no more had headaches, he was still in his animal form but he was now tired from the struggle but his mind was starting to clear itself.

“I thought that he should be turning back after calming down, a gang fight isn’t that much a conflict.” Ben said.

“He will turn back to normal after a couple of minutes don’t worry; he however needs to have his mind in control of his body again.” Reed said looking over the data. “I don’t know however, how much it will take till that happens.”

“It will not take long.” Damian said in a much more thick and heavy voice.

“Damian, you are all right, your mind is stable?” Reed said.

“I am taking control back, little by little, for now however I am able to think and talk normally. But my animal instincts are still on, in a sense I need my body to be exhausted enough to turn back, in those cases however when I am successfully tied up it take some minutes till my mind take back the control.” Damian said while his aunt and uncle came back.

“Glad you are back, although still a bit an animal.” Johnny said.

“Wouldn’t be that a problem, if my mind could control this form as well.”

“That is because of the abnormality, the savage self is tied to it, once removed you wouldn’t go out of control when your mind captures information regarding different crimes around.” Reed said.

“That or we might need a leash if something goes awry tomorrow.” Johnny said.

“Johnny, you are not putting your own nephew in a leash.” Sue scolded him while the boy felt awkward.

“Just saying.”

“Well in any case at least your cat self will not scratch today.” Ben said.

“For the moment, I need to pass the night. Argh” Damian said painfully turning back to normal.

“Good news is that I collected enough data in order to make a cure for you it shouldn’t take too long and I guess that you might need to stay restrained till I finish it that when you sleep.” Reed said.

“At least the restrains here will hold me, I just hope that the cure will not take too long to make.” Damian said while looking at Ben in a way feeling bad he at least can spend time as a normal person but Ben Grimm is something surely worst and feels ashamed for having to divert their energy for him.

“Hey, kid how about you eat something there is still some time till the sun settles completely.” Ben said deactivating the restrains.

“Maybe I could, hopefully I don’t turn cheetah while out of my restrains.” He said.

“Let’s get you to eat something first for now.” Sue said smiling helping him up.

“And don’t worry, I will get the darts.” Johnny said.

“Uncle Johnny, please don’t flame on, they aren’t fireproof.” Ben and Sue went to the kitchen to prepare a special dish from Ben’s own aunt. In a sense the situation went smooth during that dinner “Not many times I have a dinner without headaches.”

“At least you weren’t in the animal form during dinner.” Ben said.

“Not many times I stay without headaches at dinner or as a civilised person time by time.” Damian said washing his dish after eating.

“Wonder still how many people outside a room or building could you detect with your mind.” Johnny asked.

“I pick up thoughts of other people at random usually in the case of criminals however they come out of sudden, in any case I wish to no more have to intrude in personal lives of others around unwillingly.” Damian said before feeling headaches again.

“A neighbour heard what happened earlier and thinks there was some sort of super-villain attacking, quite annoyed at the noise.”

“More rather a flea circus and your headaches aching provoking a not very pleasant situation for you.” Johnny said.

“Really wish to escape this.” Damian said his pain increasing now.

“You sense another crime?” Sue asked holding him by the shoulder.

“Yes.......and this has the magnitude necessary to turn again.......Tranquilize me, quick.” Damian said holding his head, Sue immediately went to get a dart just when they noticed that he was starting to grow fur on his hands, however Sue managed to plunge the tranquilizer in his shoulder. And immediately after that Damian started to feel his body deserting him no more feeling strength both in body and mind but luckily his fur was starting to disappear.

“Let’s better put you to bed and restrains you on.” Ben said taking him up.

“Can’t believe I have to restrain my own nephew as if a wild animal.” Sue said.

“Wouldn’t be for long you don’t need to worry. Reed will surely erase that pain in his brain.” Ben said getting him to the medical wing to be restrained.

“It happened again hasn’t it?” The teen asked feeling numb and weak waking up in restrains.

“Almost, would you need another shot to pass the night?” Ben asked.

“No I think I will pass this time. Really want to rid myself of those things both the headaches and mutated DNA.” Damian said tired.

“Sure, you do, although I really admit that if you wouldn’t go savage you might really do great as a hero.” Johnny said.

“Doubtful, in my case I really wish to rid myself of it, thinking of myself as a mutated animal freak was the main source shunning myself from been a normal teen, although there are people who help me, the thought of turning savage and harm them is my main source of wanting to rid myself of this.” He said clenching his right fist.

“Sleep for now Damian, tomorrow hopefully Reed will cure you.” Sue said.

“What happens if the restrains will break?”

“H.E.R.B.I.E, make sure he doesn’t leave this place if the restrains break and he turns cheetah.”

_“No problem Susan, if the animal comes he will not go anywhere till tomorrow._ ” H.E.R.B.I.E said.

“By the way if he is still in that form, remind us to get a leash tomorrow just in case.” Ben said looking at the teen.

“Wished this visit to have started better.” Damian commented.

“Damian, between us, we had worst visits then yours, at least your condition can be contained because your mind isn’t totally turned off when you go cheetah.”

“I really am sorry now for the one who has to turn into the Hulk, but I guess he doesn’t have headaches as powerful as mine.”

“He doesn’t probably, but his personality is that of someone else when he hulks out, I would say an irony this time.” Johnny said while the boy collapsed his head on the pillow.

“God, prevent me from turning animal tonight.”

* * *

_At a secret location_

“Unfortunately we haven’t managed to take him sir. There had been complications.” The Lion mutant reported to a man behind a shadow.

“No matter at least we know that he is at the office of the Fantastic 4. We will manage to fulfil our agenda very soon, and we shall make sure of that.” Said the man in a calm but heavy voice.

“When shall be the time to strike?” The panther mutant asked.

“We will strike tomorrow when they least expect. No more diversions.” Said the man with an evil smirk.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: this is the second chapter of our story, hope you will like it, final one will come soon.

_The next day_

Back at the Baxter building the Fantastic 4 started their work of course Doctor Reed had managed to finish the cure that was needed for Damian, the only thing that was needed was only the patient to be brought to the lab in order to use it. While Mr. Fantastic finished the last adjustments, Ben was eating a giant burger he made for himself.

“Ben, Reed told me that the cure is ready, have you seen him.” Susan asked.

“Not yet he is probably sleeping still.” Ben said taking another bite.

“H.E.R.B.I.E is my nephew awake already?” Susan asked.

“ _He isn’t quite ready to go to Doctor Richards at this moment, Johnny went to check on him but isn’t quite fond of going to him._ ” The computer said.

“Ben could you go and bring him, Reed would really want him in his lab.” Susan said.

“I will go and see what happened right now.” The Thing said and went in the direction of the medical wing and found Johnny looking inside the medical bay.

“Why isn’t Damian ready?” Ben asked and Johnny then chuckled.

“Well, maybe you should go and help him prepare for his control.” Johnny said in his usual tone wanting to prank him.

“All right, what is going on here?” Ben asked and in that moment the half- cheetah human jumped on the window menacingly.

“H.E.R.B.I.E for how much time is in that form, and out of his restrains.” Ben asked.

“ _He had been transformed for 30 minutes now as for the restrains he managed to break free from them because he asked me to let him go to the bathroom, I accepted but when he returned I barely managed to activate part of the restrains and is free for 15 minutes. But he is contained and should transform back._ ”

“Good thing you came to get him then.” Johnny said.

“Me? He is _your_ nephew not mine.” Ben exclaimed.

“Sorry but I am not going in there while out of control to scratch me.” Johnny said.

“And you want me to go there?”

“Mainly to exhaust him besides he wouldn’t manage to scratch you.”

“I am not a toy for giant cats.” Ben commented.

“Come on, you only need to exhaust him to make him calm down and don’t worry.” Johnny said pulling out a big red collar attached to a leash of the same colour.

“I already took precautions in case he turns while getting to Reed’s lab. Besides do it for him not for me.” Human Torch said before both turned to the now cheetah humanoid hybrid who was grinning menacingly.

“You will owe me for this, you know.” Ben said going in the direction of the door to the medical room. “I will make sure next time he scratches him.” pressing the button to open the door and just in that moment the hybrid collapsed to the ground probably exhausted by how much he jumped around the room.

“Well that was easy.” Thing said before noticing the boy shifting back to his human form and regaining conscience.

“Argh, it happened again didn’t it?” He asked rubbing his head.

“It did, but luckily we managed to keep you in place and we haven’t needed this.” Johnny commented bringing the leash he was holding in hand.

“ _Ben, Johnny bring Damian here, I managed to make the cure for him._ ” Reed said through a speaker.

“All right cat-boy; let’s get you to Stretch to clear that pain in the brain before you wild back.” Ben said pushing him from behind.

At the lab Doctor Reed had managed to finish the last adjustments for the cure that was needed to counter the brain abnormality it was in a sense a white electrical band to be placed on its head alongside some blinders. Once activated it should make some waves of energy that would little by little erase the abnormality.

“By my tests and analysis it will destroy the brain abnormality and as for the telepathic abilities however, I don’t know what might happen to them.” Reed explained.

“It doesn’t matter; Damian had suffered enough from that abnormality. Besides becoming an animal isn’t something he wanted.” Sue said.

“Well he wouldn’t become one after the abnormality is removed.” Reed said before the door to the lab opened and both Johnny and Ben came in with the teenager.

“Is the cure ready for him now?” Asked Ben.

“Did he attack any of you?”

“Not for now, luckily.”

“Let’s do it before that happens.” Commented Damian and Reed prepared him the chair where to sit. The boy immediately went to it and Reed placed the band on its head.

“Now before I start it, do you feel something the magnitude that could trigger the transformation?” Damian closed his eyes to concentrate outside to see if he feels anything, luckily there was none.

“So anything?”

“No.” Damian opened his eyes to look at the doctor. “Nothing for now at least.”

“Let’s begin then.” Reed said placing the blinders on his eyes before going to the consol. “We begin in 3, 2, 1. Go.” Reed activated the band that sent waves of energy inside the teen’s mind making him feel strange as if something like a heavy weight is drained from his brain. While on the computer Reed was watching as the abnormality was shrinking starting from the frontal lobe and so on till only very few parts were.

“Everything seems to go fine we are almost done.” Reed said before the counsel turned red. “What?”

“ _Red alert, overheating._ ” H.E.R.B.I.E said.

“What is going on?” Sue asked.

“Johnny, take the band off.” Reed said and Johnny immediately went to his nephew and noticed the band was starting to turn red in some locations, he immediately took it out and threw it to the ground smoking before it exploded.

“Damian is everything fine?” Johnny asked, while the teen was rubbing his head now feeling a heavy weight on it.

“I-I think...s-s-so.” He said trying to get on his feet but his body wouldn’t let him, gravity was his enemy now.

“Did it worked?”

“From what it seems it did. _With the exceptions that 8 to 10% of the abnormality hasn’t disappeared in the part responsible with the senses._ ”

“10% isn’t out?” Damian asked.

“How did you know?”

“You said it Doctor Reed.”

“I haven’t said that?” Reed said before the teen turned to his uncle.

“ _Boy the band almost exploded on its head.”_ Damian heard Johnny but he didn’t even moved his lips before turning to Mr. Grimm.

“ _Hopefully his brain isn’t fried up._ ”

“Ahh, I think something happened.” Damian said.

“What?” Ben asked.

“I can hear what you think but you don’t say it out loud.” Damian said before they turned to Reed who immediately went to analyse it.

“It seems that the abnormality is officially cured and from what it seems after it was removed it increased your mental abilities with a very large percentage.”

“Meaning his mind reading and penetration abilities increased?” Ben asked.

“Yes and I guess it isn’t only his telepathic abilities.”

“What else came?” Sue asked before Reed turned to a chair.

“Hmm.” He then turned to the teen “ _Damian, try to concentrate to that chair. See if you can move it with your mind”_

“Right away.” Damian said turning to the chair.

“What did you told him to do?” Johnny asked before he noticed the chair been lifted in the air. “Do you need a chair sis?”

“I don’t do anything.” Sue said turning to the chair.

“It is Damian who does that, with the removal of the abnormality he now posses telepathic abilities to move objects with his mind.”

“And I don’t even put too much effort in it.” Damian said while moving his hand to make the chair to rotate in the air before placing it to the ground.

“Well, like aunt like nephew.” Ben said smirking.

“Still why has the band overheated?”

“Well inside your brain there is a small particle that remained and from what it seems it might have some sort of link, but I don’t know to what, do you feel any kind of violent action that might happen at this moment?” Reed asked while Damian closed his eyes to concentrate.

“Hmm, small argument over prices at a grocery store usually might have given me a small sting in my brain, but now I don’t feel any pain anymore.” Damian said with a calm tone smiling, at least he will no more have headaches.

“I see.”

“And what about......his fury issue?” Johnny asked.

“I might have needed that form to solve that issue now.” Reed said before thinking for a bit.

“However, Damian try to concentrate on your cheetah form.” The boy was stunned at what the doctor told him.

“My cheetah form? How, I haven’t done that before?”

“I know it sounds scary to you, but you have to try.”

“Hmm.” He started awkwardly getting up from his seat before he felt something around his neck; it could only mean one thing.

“For every possibility.” Johnny said holding the leash attacked to the collar.

“Not quite helping Uncle Johnny.” He said awkwardly.

“All right Damian, do it.” Reed said and the boy with reluctance complied, closing his eyes he started to think of his animal form before in the next moment he forced his eyes shut feeling his eyes stinging before opening them abruptly.

“Arghhh” He felt a surge of pain going threw his body collapsing to the ground feeling the change, the tail coming out, the fur growing and the legs modifying and his claws coming out on his hands.

“Damian, are you all right?” He heard his Aunt with a worried voice.

“Never......got......used......to this.” Damian said in a heavy thick voice before turning to his hands seeing, they had changed before realising that he was in that form, but he felt different now.

“Huh, I can now control this body; my mind is 90% active the animal instincts are surpassed. But how?”

“The abnormality was the one that was making you to turn savage, after most of it was removed you now can take control, what is to know is that there is a small particle that remained.” Reed said displaying a very small particle at the edges of his brain between the frontal and the parietal. “That particle is the one responsible from what I could tell for what remained of the animal instincts. Good news is however that from now on you can turn at wish, no more savage out at random times when you feel violence or other things like this.” Reeds said.

“So it means no more headaches and no more wild animal out of control.” Sue said removing the collar.

“I am glad to hear that, however it is doubtful that my mother would accept this, in a way she hopes that the part with the mutated DNA would be cured as well.” Damian said.

“That might now be a bit hard but not impossible I just need some samples while in this form.” Reed said before they heard the door opening and another woman come in.

“Alicia you arrived.” Ben said.

“H.E.R.B.I.E told me you were here, from what I was told you are with a relative of Susan and Johnny.” She said before the teen made some steps back not wanting to be seen by her.

“You don’t need to worry, she is blind she can’t see how you are at this moment.” Johnny whispered.

“I might not be able to see but I can hear, what might be the problem?” She asked.

“Well let’s just say that our nephew Damien, he has an old issue, and he is in a sense, ashamed by his form now.” Sue said.

“Isn’t the first time I heard that?” Alicia said making a reference to Ben before moving closer making the teen even more tense turning away from her gaze not minding that she isn’t able to see he then felt the woman’s hand touching his face making him even more awkward.

“You might be frightened by how you look. However I can see what is beyond this coat.” She said removing her hand.

“It’s in a sense, hard to tell.” He said covering his exposed face that was just touched.

“It isn’t the look that I can see, but something else and more valuable.” Alicia said with a soft smile.

“So when would you want to go with Ben?” Johnny asked.

“We can go now, by the way a pleasure meeting you Damian.” She said extending her hand and the boy still in the cheetah although a bit reluctant he shook it, he was too well behaved to be rude to people that want to shook hands.

“Pleasure was mine; wish to have been a better moment however.”

“In my view it was a good moment when you know that the one nearby isn’t actually a best on the inside.” She said.

“Wish others to have seen that.” Damian said.

“It is never too late for them to see.” Alicia said before taking Ben by the hand.

“We will be back soon, by the way Damian don’t wild out.” He said leading her to the exit.

“So should we continue?”

“Yes, right away.” Reed said.

* * *

“Should we proceed?” Asked the Lion mutant through the an earpiece, he alongside his fellow colleagues were climbing the wall of the Baxter Building to the Fantastic Four place ready to strike.

“Yes, you may go, make sure he doesn’t escape or fights back. I need him for my study.” Ordered the boss.

“Our target is in sight sir.” Said the Panther theme mutant.

“Let’s go.” The of the group ordered and they continued to climb up

* * *

_In the meantime_

“By the analysis of the hair sample I took from you. The cheetah genes had amazingly integrated with your DNA probably because of the time; however I believe that something could be done to at least ease the possible animal tendencies.” Reed explained.

“Well, it is a start at least. And yet what tendencies should include expect?” Damian said staying in a chair.

“Well for starters things like.” Reed started getting out a cage with a mouse and the cheetah boy looked at it attentively feeling an urge, he however tried to snap out of this.

“Urgh, what I am doing.” Damian commented trying to think clearly.

“Tendency of hunting rodents.” Johnny said placing the cage under the table. “By the way did you had other troubles like tendencies of chewing plastic, paper or wood?”

“Chewing the other end of my pencils or pens when I feel stress sometimes _il ajoute_ , is it counting?”

“No, I mean out of sudden when you aren’t stressed and in powerful ways which doesn’t include pencils or pens in general but includes wood, plastic, paper or even metal, happening when you aren’t in this form.” Reeds explained.

“Oh yeah when that happens I poke myself when it happens or when I have a tendency, it’s really unpleasant.”

“Yes this been one them outside of this, form.” Reed explained while looking over his computer. “In any case I think there will be a possibility to solve some issues, but like I said I am not a great expert in genetics.” Reed explained.

“But even if it takes time, I have no reason to complain about it.” Damian said before starting to sense something from outside while his aunt was coming near him to encourage his nephew.

_“Prepare smoke bombs; I am sure that the four are occupied with stopping him running around like wild.” The voice of the Lion mutant ordered to the jaguar who was preparing some smoke bombs with sleep gas._

“Don’t worry Damian, we will manage something. There is no way I allow anyone to put you in a cage-”

“GET DOWN!” Damian said jumping on his aunt to get her to the ground.

“Hey what is going-” Johnny started before an explosion came and 3 grenades came in.

“Their back, don’t inhale, sleep gas.” Damian said covering his face and mouth alongside the animal mutants came in.

“It seems the flea circus is back.” Johnny commented flaming on ready for a fight.

“H.E.R.B.I.E. how come they came here?” Reed asked and his super computer showed on the screen.

“Jamming devices? Impressive, coming from them.” Reed said a bit impressed.

“REED! Not the time.” Suzan called.

“Right, H.E.R.B.I.E call Ben immediately, we will need him.” Reed ordered before stretching his arms to catch a jaguar and a panther mutant coming to him.

“Right away, sir.”

“Wonder why they came here in the first place.” Sue said staying in front of her nephew to protect him while Damian tried to enter into their minds and what he read shocked him.

“They came for me!”

“What?” Sue asked turning to him while making a shield.

“The one who gave them those powers they came for me, with the purpose of him to experiment on me.”

“I don’t think so.” She said angrily not noticing that above them, their leader ready to aim at her with a sonic gun.

“Watch out!” Damian pushing her aside and got hit by the sonic ray collapsing him to the ground unconscious and turning back to human form.

“Damian!” Sue called before a flame blast launched in front of the leader and made him run.

“You cover him; I will make sure they don’t try to run.” Johnny called coming to the aid.

* * *

_In the meantime with the Thing_

Between the things that Ben Grimm didn’t liked was when people were peaking on him especially by the Yancy Street Gang. Those been of course minor annoyances, never giving mind to those things that much due to getting use with the passing of time for been pile of orange rock. One aspect that he enjoyed was the time he could spend with Alicia she been one of the few people that don’t see him as a freak that been his case, of course he was thinking how the cheetah switching teenager boy Damian was handling that issue, by all accounts he was thinking if there is any progress. By all accounts he should be jealous if there is a possibility of quickly been cured.

“Ben you seem a bit silent lately. Is something bothering you?” Alicia asked touching his right hand both been at a coffee shop nearby the building.

“Oh, ahh no, it is nothing really.” Ben said but Alicia knew that the situation was different by his thoughtful tone.

“I might be blind and I might not be able to read minds like Suzan and Johnny nephew, but I can tell it is something off.” Alicia said with a smile and a soft tone.

“What can that be the worry?” She asked ant Ben tried in a way to avoid the question but with Alicia he couldn’t.

“I told you on the road here about Suzan and Johnny’s nephew, with his condition and his mind activity that increased drastically by all accounts after curing his abnormality.”

“But it is another problem, which is bothering you?” She asked.

“Well I do admit that I expected one to be as annoying as Johnny but I found out that he is a nice boy, not annoying anyone and I do am sorry for what he went through due to freak accident in the biology lab at school. And now he could be cured......”

“You are a bit jealous that he has a possibility of been cured isn’t it?” Alicia asked and Ben looked at her, although her eyes didn’t told much he could tell he expected a positive answer from him about this.

“Officially he is a very good kid, and I do am glad that he could be cured from turning into a humanoid cheetah, whenever he senses a crime with his brain powers. But I do admit that I am a bit jealous because he could be cured quicker than me. I shouldn’t feel this way I do admit but I simply couldn’t help despite my efforts trying not to.” Ben explained while Alicia hold one of his massive hands.

“Ben I might not be able to read minds. But I believe that Damian is feeling the same for you.” She started and the bigger Fantastic Four member turned to her.

“His condition is very similar to yours with the difference that in the past he turned whenever he sensed bad intentions around him and primal instincts activated. But now he can do it when he wants and without behaving like a wild animal. He might be in the cheetah form part of the time, but I sensed that he feels sorry for you because of the fact that in your case, you can’t turn human whenever you want and probably thought it wouldn’t be fair.” She explained.

“By this difference he is the lucky one, because even if he wouldn’t be cured of the cheetah mutation he at least could choose not to turn at all for the rest of his life.”

“This might be true.” Alicia said taking a slip from her coffee. “But it can’t bring back the time he had lost. It is just like you said, after that accident he shunned himself from other people, with the fear of having to harm others by accident, five years he spent trying to behave as normal as possible. But he lost, a great part of his childhood he didn’t managed to enjoy company of friends and he never lived the life he was given. I might have come during the time when he was in the animal form, if I had the ability to see I would have been scared as well, but when I touched him I didn’t sensed a wild animal but a boy who lost his childhood, because of that event.” Alicia said before Ben turned his reflection, by all he can tell both he and Damian could be more alike and he does agree that if his condition happened at his age it could have been much more unpleasant in this case he was a lucky one that he didn’t turned like this at the age of 13.

“I do admit that I can’t describe how he felt all those years.” Ben said.

“You 2 are very much alike Ben, you will also need to see it, besides he a good person, this because he had his family and close ones near him to help him through everything. The same as you are.” Alicia explained smiling at the Thing.

“Yeah I do admit this now; you always know what to say.” Ben said before his Fantastic communicator started to ring in his ear and Ben turned to his girlfriend.

“You should better answer.” Be immediately pressed the answer button.

“Ben, come here as soon as possible, you are needed.” Reeds said.

“What is happening?”

“The mutated animals returned, it seems that they came for Damian you better come here quickly.”

“On my way.” Ben turned to his pocket to pull some money to pay for his coffee before turning to Alicia.

“Don’t worry Ben, I shall handle everything. You just go.” She said with a smile and Ben left for the Baxter building.

* * *

“They surely don’t want to give up easily.” Johnny said while fending 2 of the animal mutants.

“We need to hold.” Sue said shielding Damian form bear theme mutant before Mr. Fantastic intervened as a giant ball bouncing around pushing hitting some of the mutants.

“Ben should arrive here any minute, when he arrives he will be able to push them back.” Reed said.

“They will not budge; we would not manage to take him on time.” The male lion leader said to his other acolytes.

“Yes we will, cover me.” Called the female panther mutant and he alongside the panther, tiger and lion and other 4 prepared themselves, 2 of them launched at Mr. Fantastic while other 2 at the Human Torch while the rest went for the Invisible Woman and Damian.

“You will not take him you animals.” She said while shielding herself and Damian from them struggling to break her shield, despite her sweating and her head aching from the attacks, it was to no avail however and she slightly let go of her shield, big mistake.

“ARGH!” Something jumped on her and right when her nephew was regaining conscience he was grabbed by the lion who pinned him down.

“Aghh, NO!” He said explained before a hanky with a sleep substance was placed at his nose, despite his struggle he was again subdued and taken up by the humanoid lion mutant.

“NO!” Suzan screamed in anger, struggling to get loose from the grip of the panther mutant.

“Sue!” Johnny called getting towards his sister and the panther mutant to chase her away. “Get off my sister you bag of fleas.” He managed to hit the panther and make her run away to her colleagues.

“Retreat, retreat!” Called the leader getting back towards the hole in the building outside was a black helicopter that was ready to leave.

“They got Damian; we must not let them run.” Suzan called right when Ben arrived.

“I am on it. It’s clobbering time.” Ben said charging hitting several humanoid animals like the bear, the gorilla and the wolf who tried to attack him but he only got captured.

“This is a white zone, there is no abducting giant spotted cats in a white zone.” The Thing said.

The Lion got into the helicopter however holding the still unconscious teen while some others with the exception of the wolf.

“LET’S GO NOW!!!” The lion roared and the helicopter started to depart at full speed, Johnny got outside the lab, reading a fire ball to try to damage the helicopter but it activated its rocket engines to depart at full speed.

“Darn it, again!?” Johnny commented.

“Johnny where is Damian?” Reed asked.

“They left, that helicopter they came with had rocket engines. It reminds me of the time we had to deal with Bruce.”

“We have to go after them.” Sue said now angry that someone took their nephew for who knows what experimentation.

“Don’t worry, we will catch them.” Reed said before turning to Thing who was holding the humanoid wolf hybrid.

“Alright you oversized mutt, how about you tell us where you took the boy if you don’t want to become a fur pelt.” Ben said holding the wolf, and by the look of his face he is willing to talk.

* * *

_In the meantime_

Damian was starting to regain conscience, his sighting was still cloudy but he could figure out that he wasn’t in the laboratory of doctor Reed. This was a bad sign it meant he was taken by the robbers and it was more obvious by the fact that the female panther was holding his hands tight.

“We were wondering when you will wake us boy, the boss would really want to meet you.” Said the panther with a smirk while the boy was struggling in her grip.

“Who is your boss, and what do you want?!” Damian asked.

“You will see soon, very soon.” The Lion leader said while Damian’s eyes turned feline like, for the first time he wanted to turn to fight them.

“Don’t even think about this, you have no way to escape and you wouldn’t manage to fend all of us and no mind tricks as well.” The Lion said.

“GRRR!”

* * *

“It seems that they came from the early begging to take Damian, the question is however why and for what purpose?” Reed said all now been in the Fantasti Car flying to get to him.

“Genetic experimentation, Damian managed to tell me before been taken, the one who send them want to experiment on him because of his cheetah DNA” Suzan said with bitterness in her voice.

“So what do we do now?” Ben asked.

“We go and take him back, he suffered enough.”

“Good thing Mr. Big Wolf told tell us everything we needed to know especially the location of the lab.” Johnny commented.

“Not only that.” Reed said while looking at his scanner in his cockpit and managed to track him “His DNA sample also works as a flare gun, I managed to track him down, we are very close.”

* * *

_In the meantime at a location in the desert_

The helicopter just reached the destination and the animal hybrids were taking Damian to the main entrance of a lab dug in the rock, the teenager was trying to struggle against his captors and also had launched a mind blast to disturb the his captors, but to almost no avail.

“We got him boss.” Said the lion tossing Damian at the floor. before a slender man in his late 50s wearing a lab coat and long trousers black, his hair already greyed by time as well as his sharp face but one thing to know was the fact that he was looking at the boy with satisfaction.

“Well done Lars, well done.” He said before Damian looked up to see him, it was a man he knew before a slender man in his late 50s wearing a lab coat and long trousers black, his hair already greyed by time as well as his sharp face but one thing to know was the fact that he was looking at the boy with satisfaction. However it was someone he knew, someone he didn’t expected to see for a long time, a teacher that was replaced in his second year of high school.

“Bonjour monsieur Du Molais.”

“Professo Animaux!”

“What, did you missed me?” He asked with an evil smirk and by the look he had Damian knew he wanted something.

“What is happening?” He asked.

“You were always a curious student I always appreciated that at you and also a peculiar one.” He said with a smirk and the teenager knew a bad thing would be said now. “You want to know how that substance got there. It was me who created it.”

“Why did you do this?” He asked horrified.

“Why, because I wanted to create a human that have the abilities of an animal. I was about to do it but I had to hide the serum with the cheetah DNA when I was replaced and I intended to come back for it and the formula. I hoped that you wouldn’t have found it in when I placed it deep in your locker, and with the accident that I made in order to make you and Delavan leave the lab, however because of it this happened.” He said, Damian only remembering it and he started his eyes to water, it was too much a painful one to want to remember while his former teacher pressed a button to show some thing on a screen. They were pictures of him in his cheetah form, doing his endeavors while the animal instincts were taking over because of the abnormality he had looking through the pictures he noticed that he usually attacked and stopped either robbers and other wrongdoers, he also saw 2 times when he helped his bigger sister.

“And yet look what came out, the perfect living weapon, the ones who I presented my findings though to be unreliable and yet look at those, look at you. You in essence are the perfect specimen.”

“Tu as ruine ma vie, tu m-a transforme en cingle. Tu ne pas avais un Dieux et un conscience (You ruined my life, you turned me into a freak. Don’t you have a God or a Conscience!).” He shouted angrily.

“For the progress of science don’t you think every sacrifice, don’t you think?”

“You are mad. Science shouldn’t be for those kinds of experiments, it should be to cure people to help people. You put your ambition before the needs of others!”

“It wouldn’t be for too long, after I find out how you can turn without the need of a bio chip. This is what all those robbers have, I invited them and gave them the powers they need to rob banks but it is due to a chip in their arms that is able to turn them and give them all the abilities, too bad that the formula was destroyed in the accident. But with your help I will manage for this to no more be necessary together we will revolutionize everything.” Animo said looking at him hoping for Damian to help. But for the teen, everything he was telling him only made him mad and by far everything was foolish, if he would help him he would only commit a mortal sin both to God, the world and humanity. There was no way he would do what the one who turned him this, the one who destroyed his teenage years, it was absolutely out of the question.

“NON, never. I would never help the one who destroyed my life you are mad Animo and nothing else. You are a disgrace for everyone.” Damian said turning away from him.

“How unfortunate.” Animo said before the alarm started to ring. “What is happening?”

“It’s the Fantastic Four!” The jaguar hybrid said, while Damian smile, he knew his aunt and uncle would come.

“They will stop you for sure now.”

“I don’t think so, because you will fight against them?” Animo said smirking infuriating the boy even more at him and his plans.

“I will never do so.” He shouted his eyes turning feline again but he must control his rage.

“You might not want to but I want.” Animo said pulling out a small round chip. “Hold him!” He ordered and the lion and panther grabbed him while he tried to struggle from their grip.

“No!”

“You might not want to cooperate but it is not you who would decide. Because I shall use your temper to make you fight.” He said placing the device behind his neck causing an uncontrollable rage in him starting the change from human to cheetah “This neural transmitter would cause an artificial rage in you, which would start your transformation and obey to my orders. Let’s see how the Human Torch and the Invisible Woman would manage to fight against their own relative.”

“No, no, NOOOOWRAAAA!” He shouted feeling the rage and the pain while his body was transforming from human to cheetah-hybrid.

* * *

“This is the place.” Reed said.

“So how do we enter, do we knock?” The Thing asked preparing his fists with the intend of ramming the door, while Reed looked around and found an entrance.

“No.” Mr. Fantastic said extending himself towards a ventilation shaft, removing the grill he entered in the main chamber everything was however dim lit barely seeing a thing, by all accounts Johnny despite his antics he is good to light a path.

“Should have let Johnny melt the door.” Reed commented, before seeing a shape in the dark that surely was a switch, he didn’t however noticed another person or rather creature that was looking at him with anger, ready to jump on him like a predator on his prey.

“If I think correctly.” Reed started turning the switch for the metal door to move upwards for the light outside to get in.

“Now should _gargh_ …..” Something jumped on Mr. Fantastic something that had fur on it, hissing at him and pinning down, the head of the creature been close to his head feeling his breath; surely was one of the half animal robbers.

“I am not one for animal cruelty but I am not very fond when wild ones jump on me and want to use me as a chew toy.” Reed said stretching his hands around the animal from behind him to pin him down, right when the light shown to see who the animal was, however this time it was much wilder then before.

“HIIISSSSSSS” He hissed at him struggling to liberate himself from Mr. Fantastic’s tightening grip right when the rest entered.

“Damian?! What are you doing?” Sue asked before the cheetah boy grabbed Mr. Fantastic from the back and threw him at the others and The Thing caught him.

“What happened to him? He seems more savage then yesterday.” Ben commented before the boy was ready to jump on them.

“I knew I should have brought the leash. Flame On!” Johnny said activating his powers to fly above his nephew who was in all fours. “I don’t know what is happening Damian, but I surely don’t want your mother scolding me for giving you a burn.” He said before he noticed some pairs of eyes in the room, flaming much brighter and saw who they were.

“HIIISSSSSS!” Damian hissed making another charge at the 4.

“Ben, try to catch him!” Suzan ordered and the Thing went before the humanoid cheetah hybrid and caught him right when he unsheathed his claws.

“Alright kitty, I don’t know what is wrong with you but I am sure we can figure this out back home.” Ben said holding him tight so he would not escape, his right arm also in his grip.

“Ah, maybe after we deal with the rest as well.” Johnny called.

“The rest?” Ben asked noticing the other mutated animal hybrids.

“I think we will need a zookeeper.” Johnny commented before the others started to charge at them and Suzan made a shield before the charging hybrids to knock them as if they hit a wall.

“Ben try to hold Damian as much as you can, don’t let him escape.” Suzan ordered.

“I am trying but I don’t think he wants to stay still. Wonder what happened to him.” Ben commented before Reed who threw the lion leader away he noticed something on the back of his neck.

“I think I know.” He said extending his hand but Damian hit it.

“Hey how about you stop that, what got into you?” Ben asked.

“It’s not him, he has a neural transmitter on the back of his neck that causes a rage in him from there the transformation and his aggressiveness.” Reed said pointing at a black round device.

“I see I will get it off.” Ben said moving his hand towards the round device however from behind a crate the man responsible for everything was watching.

“I don’t think so.” Animo said taking his phone that had the remote to all the bio chips. “Stop The Thing, and the Four from taking him NOW!” He ordered and the bear and gorilla mutants charged at the Thing and jumped on him right when the thing wanted to remove it and he had to use his free hand to punch them. Other hybrids also started to also attack the Fantastic Four, but they were managing for the moment to keep them at bay. Johnny was chasing them away with fire some of the feline ones, Suzan with her shield the gorilla, tiger and bear, Reed and Ben the rest.

“They are too many of them and I can’t fight with one arm occupied.” Ben said.

“We have to try.” Suzan said trying to hold firm starting to break sweat while Damian was watching them struggling and it seemed that his mind was starting to fight back.

“ _What…..am I doing……..I should help them._ ” Damian said in his mind.

“Fight against them and release yourself from their grip!” He heard Animo through his device.

“ _Fight……..against…….my own…….aunt and uncle? No!_ ” He though in his head.

“Don’t resist now, you are mine I gave you all that you have now, you owe me.” Animo said and the teenager was for a moment about to lose his hope, he was a freak now like all them now.

“ _I can’t let them take my nephew._ ” Damian heard the voice from his aunt, and Damian turned towards her who was trying to maintain a shield with all her strength despite the attacks from the more bulky and massive hybrids.

“ _I will not let them harm my family, Ben, Johnny, Reed and also our cousin Liz and her children Damian and Marie._ ” He heard her thoughts about him although a whisper he could hear them.

“ _If only I could at least take the neural transmitter to wake him up. If I wasn’t tied by all those, I surely could work together with him on something._ ” He heard Doctor Reed’s thoughts before turning his sight towards Ben.

“I once said I don’t want to fight you and I still don’t want to but if you only could help us.” He said this time out loud and Damian despite the influence of the transmitter his mind was starting to wake up and take back control, with every percentage of clearness he could remember who were the ones that want to help him, his father, mother, sister and his uncles and aunt in the Fantastic Four whom want to help him, his real enemy isn’t them, but Animo the one who made all this his real anger towards him replaced the artificial one the transmitter was causing him.

“WRAAAA!” Damian roared, his free will coming back to him, with his free hand getting on the neural transmitter, taking it away from behind his neck and with it his mind cleared back to normal while the Thing turned to him.

“Hey you are alright?” Ben asked.

“I will be very soon, and I need your help to put down the one responsible for everything.” Damian said with a determination.

“Glad you are back in command.” Ben let him be and he prepared himself for a fight. “So where we have to go?” Damian started to use his mind to analyze where he might be and he detected him where he is hiding.

“He is behind the crates on that platform I need to get there, but I need an opening and also a lift.”

“As it happens I am ready for a fight.” Ben said preparing his fists.

“Then let’s put an end to this.” Damian said and with a powerful swing he hit the tiger robber while Ben went for the gorilla and bear hybrids that Suzan was still holding with her shield.

“Time out you fury pelts.” Ben said knocking them down.

“Ben where is Damian?”

“Need a little lift aunty.” He called while fighting another wolf hybrid and the panther and Suzan helped him by trapping both of them in 2 invisible balls made by her mind while Damian was going forward.

“NO! This is not to be!” Animo said while trying to run away with his phone in hands.

“You aren’t going anywhere. It’s clobbering time.” The Thing called ramming metal bars that were still holding the platform, Animo was about to fall but he managed to hold himself before Damian turned to his aunt.

“I need a lift.”

“Right away.” Sue said making a force platform to lift him up where Animo was and charged at him right when he was about to try to run, Damian however was too fast for him and he knocked him down with his face to the ground.

“You aren’t going anywhere Animo. Pas cette fois (Not this time)!” Damian said with anger before Animo tried to go for his phone in his pocket but he could find it.

“What where it is?”

“Vous recherchez ceci? (You are looking for this?)” The cheetah teen said showing him his phone pressing a button, and out of sudden every hybrid animal started to shake and collapse to the ground in pain, all of them starting to turn back to their original human forms.

“You don’t know what you did.” Animo said.

“I don’t know!?” Damian said with anger turned to him with a ferocious look taking him by his lab coat up with his right hand, while his former teacher’s phone was in his left.

“You took away my childhood at 13 and turned me into this, well now it looks like your experiment turned against you. And I will take away what you worked for.” Damian hissed at him looking at him with the face of a ferocious beast showing his razor sharp claws and teeth, ready to make the kill while Animo looked at him with the greatest face of fear. The Fantastic Four were also looking at him thinking at what he might do at this moment. Damian looked deeply in the eyes of the man who turned him into what he is now however looking in them he saw his own reflection of what he was about to do and he also got scared of what he was about to do, and looking at his claws and rolling his eyes to the heroes he realized that this wasn’t him, he wasn’t like this.

“Non, I am nothing like what you wanted and never will be. You wanted to make me a freak but, I had my loved ones who took care of me all this time and helped me to not become what you wanted and what you are. So!” He moved him closer crashing his “I will tell you this only once. Leave me, my family and friends alone to live in peace.”

“Alright.” Animo said with fear in his voice before Damian threw him away and Doctor Reed tied him with his elastic hands.

“Well done Damian, you did the right choice” Reed said.

“So who is mister zookeeper over here?” Johnny said getting his feet on the ground flaming out.

“My former teacher who got replaced in the second year of my high school the one who made the serum. And one who though that he could teach me more, but I believe I learned that it is me who will choose what to do.” Damian said.

“A lesson you learned more by yourself.” Johnny said with a smile and his nephew returned the gesture.

“Fool you really don’t know what you have lost.” Animo commented.

“I believe he knows what he have gained Professor Animo.” Reed replied him. Later that day the police and National Guard were called and took into custody both the robbers Professor Animo away to a federal penitentiary. By all accounts what the professor had done will earn him a very long sentence. After his arrest the Fantastic Four returned to the Baxter Building to Doctor Reed’s lab to run several tests for Damian, by all accounts he had managed to correct some issues in his DNA and some other things.

“So how is the situation?” Damian asked while staying on the medical bed he was now back in his human form.

“Well Damian the good news are, you DNA is officially stabilized some minor negative issues that could have occurred while not in the cheetah form had been solved. Unfortunately however due to the fact that it passed so much time the mutated cheetah DNA became part of your genetic code, by all accounts it will stick with you but in a much stable form.” Doctor Reed said.

“So it means that I will stick with this for the rest of my life.”

“Of course there could be something done like an attempt to clean it up by using radiations however, this could be too dangerous for you and I don’t wish to risk. I’m sorry.” Reed said letting go of his restrains while Damian took a deep breath.

“You don’t need to apologies, in a way if I will stick with this affliction I believe I could use it, the way you are using it.” Damian said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Ben asked.

“Well, Animo wanted to turn someone into a freak and it was me who turned into by mistake. He might have wanted it to do it for evil and he would be reprimand and disgraced by the scientific community forever. It might have worked if I haven’t got the people close to me who wanted to help. And so if I will have this for the rest of my life I believe that I should better use this in a much more proper way.”

“And that would be?” Johnny asked liking already what he was telling.

“The way you are doing it, you use your abilities to save other people every day. And well it seems that this is what I was doing without been conscious of it and so this is what I should still do.” Damian explained.

“You just made a very bright decision. I am sure you would do great in Montreal.”

“Merci. I just hope that mother and father would accept however the new situation.”

“We will explain to them how the situation is don’t worry, they will accept it.” Suzan said.

“On the other hand, they might have no choice, because of a situation that will be needed to be taken into account.” Doctor Reed said.

“Qu’est-ce que ca pourrait être? What that might be?”

“Well officially you will not turn out of sudden and you might not need to become a hero so often, thinking that Canada isn’t that a hot bed of villains. But you will have to turn at least once a week because the animal instincts are still active and are part of the DNA, and so they will need to be let free that on one side, on the other you must watch out for your rage; anger and rage at very high levels are also a things that could kick your transformation, but not in the same manner that is the issue with the Hulk or what was with the abnormality.” Doctor Reed explained.

“Je comprends, I understand.”

“Oh and by the way, if you want to walk in our footsteps you might need to assemble yourself a team. Since you probably tried to keep this a secret and didn’t want to tell others about it.” Johnny said scratching the back of his head before Damian pulled out a picture.

“Oh about that, who said that I don’t have a team already?” Damian said pulling out a photo of him with a group of other teenagers, Damian been in the center wearing his glasses and his usual clothes while to his right there was a beautiful slender native American girl with oval face, brown eyes and rich black hair wearing a red t-shirt with long blue trousers and black shoes while on his left there was a white boy with messy black hair, green eyes, triangle face wearing a green sweatshirt over a white t-shirt with long blue jeans, near him was a black boy with short hair, brown eyes, wearing a red sweater and long blue trousers, followed by a blond white girl with blues eyes and diamond shape face wearing a long blue sweater with black trousers.

“This is the club that I part of, we are declared the youngest protégés at the university. Alex is with chemistry.” He said pointing at the first boy. “Noah is with physics.” He pointed at the black boy “Chloe with Chemistry.” Pointed at the blond girl “and Adeline is with robotics.” Pointed the Native American girl.

“You got quite the team of intelligent people. And I guess that they know your secret, aren’t they?” Ben asked.

“Well I had to tell them when I turned in an evening, when during a study group and someone wanted to wreck our projects for the next day and I had to stop him, Adeline was the one who followed me and saw what was happening. She was also the one who helped me calm down when I chase the intruder away. Of course with how the situation was I told them that I might be too dangerous for them, but they didn’t minded and stick with me till the end.”

“This is what true friends are for Damian, never forget that. They went for you to help you and you helped them because they will always help you when needed.” Ben said.

“I will always remember that.”

“And by the way, you should try to ask one of the girls out, they are very pretty.” Johnny said before everyone started to laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s note: Hope you enjoyed the lecture; next chapter will be coming soon.


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